Autonomous vehicles and methods of zone driving

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298778-B2
Application number	US-202418414025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2024
Priority date	Nov 8, 2016
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles are capable of executing missions that abide by on-street rules or regulations, while also being able to seamlessly transition to and from “zones,” including off-street zones, with their our set(s) of rules or regulations. An on-board memory stores roadgraph information. An on-board computer is operative to execute commanded driving missions using the roadgraph information, including missions with one or more zones, each zone being defined by a sub-roadgraph with its own set of zone-specific driving rules and parameters. A mission may be coordinated with one or more payload operations, including zone with “free drive paths” as in a warehouse facility with loading and unloading zones to pick up payloads and place them down, or zone staging or entry points to one or more points of payload acquisition or placement. The vehicle may be a warehousing vehicle such as a forklift.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An autonomous transport vehicle, comprising:
a memory for storing roadgraph information including driving rules and parameters associated with a roadgraph coordinate system;
a localization system operative to determine a location of the vehicle relative to the roadgraph coordinate system;
a computer operative to execute commanded driving missions using the roadgraph information and the localization system, each driving mission being defined by a set of destinations or checkpoints that the vehicle is scheduled to visit; and
wherein the computer is operative to execute a mission commanding the autonomous vehicle to visit destinations or checkpoints within at least one zone using the roadgraph information and the localization system, the localization system including barcode location markers or other machine-readable codes for localization within the at least one zone.

2. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the mission is coordinated with one or more payload operations including a checkpoint comprising payload pick-up and a checkpoint comprising payload put-down.

3. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the computer is operative to execute a further mission that takes the vehicle from an entry point into the at least one zone said one or more payload operations within the at least one zone.

4. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the at least one zone includes free drive paths.

5. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising an obstacle detection system, wherein the computer is operative to use the obstacle detection system to avoid structures external to the vehicle along the driving missions.

6. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the localization system further includes GPS for latitude and longitudinal localization and visual sensing of environmental structures external to the vehicle.

7. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one zone comprises an indoor facility.

8. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a forklift.

9. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the roadgraph information stored on the memory further comprises on-street zones for travel on roads, and wherein one set of driving and obstacle detection rules are used for the on-street zones during travel on the roads, and a different set of driving and obstacle detection rules are used within the at least one zone.

10. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the obstacle detection rules within the at least one zone are more relaxed as compared to the obstacle detection rules applicable to travel on the roads in the on-street zones.

11. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a powertrain driving a set of wheels, and further including steering and braking systems, wherein the computer interfaced to the powertrain, and steering and braking subsystems.

12. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computer is operative to execute a mission to visit destinations or checkpoints in a plurality of zones, each zone being defined by a sub-roadgraph with its own set of zone-specific driving rules and parameters.

13. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the obstacle detection system comprises video or laser radar sensors.

14. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is an automatic loader machine.

15. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the localization system further includes position different sensors to provide location change measurements.

16. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the position different sensors include a wheel encoder, an inertial sensor, and a magnetic compass.

Assignees

• Cybernet Systems Corp

Inventors

• Beach Glenn J
• Haanpaa Douglas
• Jacobus Charles J
• Rowe Steven

Classifications

• G05D1/249

  from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras · CPC title

• G05D1/228

  Command input arrangements located on-board unmanned vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/246

  using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM] · CPC title

• G05D1/661

  Docking at a base station (delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667) · CPC title

• G05D1/247

  using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons · CPC title